11 quotes to inspire creative expression (even if it's drawing stick figures).

It's pretty easy to feel like art is beyond our skill set: too technical to learn, too elite to enjoy, too consuming of our time and energy to generate something worthwhile. (Alright, I'm speaking from personal experience here and speculating that it might be applicable to someone reading this.) It takes a bit of courage to pick up something like a pen and commit to an endeavor even when you can't guarantee you'll be successful. It takes humility to look at your hard work and laugh at the smudge you made at the last second. It takes vulnerability to share something that you've created with the world.

(But I'll tell you: it's so, so worth it.)

So wherever you are in your artistic journey (e.g., you haven't picked up a paint brush since 7th grade and have realized that drawing stick figures can actually be quite tricky, or you're a seasoned artist who has ever had doubts about their work, etc.), here are some quotes I hope you'll find comfort in.

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1. "Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow." -Kurt Vonnegut

2. "Art is something that makes you breathe with a different kind of happiness.” -Anni Albers

3. "Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep." -Scott Adams

4. "The essence of all beautiful art, all great art, is gratitude." -Friedrich Nietzsche

5. "Find something you really love doing and mix it with something you really care about. That’s why I’ve had such longevity as an artist." -Kathleen Hanna

6. "The world always seems brighter when you’ve just made something that wasn’t there before." -Neil Gaiman

7. "I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells." -Dr. Seuss

8. "If you hear a voice within you saying, 'You are not a painter,' then by all means paint… and that voice will be silenced." -Vincent van Gogh

9. "Whether you succeed or not is irrelevant, there is no such thing. Making your unknown known is the important thing –and keeping the unknown always beyond you.” -Georgia O’Keeffe

10. "Art washes away from the soul the dust of every day life.” -Pablo Picasso

11. "Draw a crazy picture, write a nutty poem, sing a mumble-grumble song, whistle through your comb. Do a loony-goony dance 'cross the kitchen floor -- put something silly in the world that ain't been there before." -Shel Silverstein

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Any of these quotes particularly resonate for you? I'm planning on lettering them at some point because they really give me some great creative energy. If you decide to do the same, feel free to share them with me (@penandprosody on instagram)!

#art #creativity #quotes #lettering